CITU rallies in Srinagar, Jammu
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 10: As part of nation-wise demands day, hundreds of workers carrying red flags and banners assembled at Sher-i-Kashmir Park to mark the demands day.
Organised by Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the rally was attended by the scheme workers, daily wagers and contractuals, seasonal, labourers associated with Kashmir Constructional Workers Union.
While addressing the rally, State president CITU, Mohammed Yousuf Tarigami said that the present dispensation is making every attempt to erode whatever the achievement had been made by the working class over the years. The Government has been initiating harsh measures against the working class across the country. The policies pursued by the Government have led to job losses and livelihood of common people. The unemployment rates have reached levels never seen before. The Government has miserably failed to address the issues people face.
The working class has tremendous tasks in these challenging times to continue building broader unity to defend their natural resources and national assets. Scheme workers like Anganwadi workers, helpers and ASHAs are compelled to work on paltry emoluments.
The Mid-Day Meal workers, CPWs, MGNREGA employees, contractual, HDF, construction workers, need based, seasonal and casual labourers are neglected and their long pending demands are not being met. The demand for implementation of Minimum Wages Act was underscored and it was urged upon the Government to fix the minimum wages to Rs 26000 per month to all casual labourers, seasonal, contractual, transport workers, daily wagers and people working in different industries and shops.
He appealed to all shapes of political opinion to support the genuine demands of workers. They must list these demands in their manifesto. We must unitedly raise our voice in defense of working people in J&K, he asserted.
Others who spoke on the occasion include Abdul Rashid Pandit, Trade Union leader, Lateefa, Haneefa, Suraya, Masooda Anganwadi leaders, Dilshada and Firdousa ASHA leaders. They raised the demands including scrapping the four Labour Codes, ending National Monetisation Pipeline and other forms of privatisation, ensuring job security for contract workers, including continuation of employment even when contractors change, and equal wages and benefits as permanent workers, rescinding notifications reducing penal charges on employers defaulting on EPF, EPS, and EDLI dues, scraping the New Pension Scheme, restoring the Old Pension Scheme, minimum pension of Rs 9,000 or above for EPS pensioners, recognizing scheme workers (such as Anganwadi workers, ASHAs, and Mid Day Meal workers as workers and providing them with minimum wages and social security benefits, including pensions.
Similar protest rally was held by CITU workers at Maharaja Hari Singh Park in Jammu. Senior leaders Om Parkash, Jagdish Sharma and Kishore Kumar addressed the rally.
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